That Was The Celtic Goal That Was

That Was the Celtic Goal That Was




No. 7 26th April 1969 Steve Chalmers

　

Celtic complete the domestic treble as they thumped their city rivals 4-0 in front of over 130,000 fans at Hampden Park. The 2nd treble in 3 seasons cemented our place as the leading club in the country & Jock Stein as one of the top managers in world football at the time.

　



With a few big names missing from the starting line-up, Celtic surprisingly were not the clear favourites going into the match. Rangers had crushed Aberdeen 6-1 in the Semi final & with Jinky suspended & John Hughes injured, the media had Rangers edging the final.

　



In a blistering first half Celtic scored 3 goals with out reply. The first coming from our captain & leader Billy McNeill. After only 3 minutes Celtic took advantage of some poor marking in the box, a corner swung into the box was met perfectly by McNeil as he steered the ball into the corner of the net.

　



Rangers had chances but Fallon in goal kept Celtic in front. As the match approached half time Celtic scored 2 quickfire goals. Bobby Lennox made it 2-0 when he capitalised on some slack passing in the Rangers Midfield. With the Celtic fans still celebrating the 2nd Goal, George Connelly dispossessed John Greig on the edge of the rangers box, then rounded the keeper to make it 3-0.

　



With the match over as a contest Celtic continued to attack in the 2nd half, then on 76 minutes Steve Chalmers scored Celtics 4th goal. In a move that started from inside our own 6 yard box, Celtic swept from defence to attack in seconds.

　



McNeil headed a cross clear & within 4 passes Chalmers found himself in acres of space in the Rangers half, he advanced on the left wing, cutting into the box, bearing down on goal he had support from Lennox & Auld, but with the angle closing Chalmers clipped the ball with the outside of his right foot passed Martin in the Rangers goal & inside his near post.

　



As the Celtic players & fans celebrated the huge victory the rangers fans made their way for the exit, some trying to enter the field of play.

　



The cheek of the finish from Chalmers not only showed the confidence in that Celtic teams ability it also showed the gap in quality between both teams in the final.

　



To win the treble was reward for a fantastic performance, but to secure it so emphatically against our rivals made it more special.

That Was The Celtic Goal That Was

That Was the Celtic Goal That Was



No. 6 24th August 1996 Paolo Di Canio



On the 31st May 1996 Paolo Di Canio joined Celtic from AC Milan. Tommy Burns had been looking to add a game changer to our team, someone who could unlock defences , make & score goals - Tommy & the Celtic fans were not to be disappointed.


The arrival of Di Canio complete the "Three Amigos" forward line of the 96/97 season with Cadete & Van Hooijdonk. Andreas Thom would add some more firepower to a sometimes unstoppable attacking formation. However, with so much focus on going forward our defence were often left wide open & even with a fast flowing strikers we couldn't always get the win we so sorely needed that season.


In an early season match at Rugby Park, Celtic scored 3 second half goals coming from behind to beat Kilmarnock.


After going into the dressing room at Half-Time 1 down Celtic had to find a way to get back into the match. Having survived a scare early in the 2nd half when Kilmarnock should have doubled their lead, Di Canio & Cadete burst into life.


With an hour gone Di Canio picked up the ball near the half-way line & broke forward at pace before exchanging passes with Cadete on the edge of the Kilmarnock box. The Italian had slipped passed his marker in the box, he took one more touch to jink passed the last defender & then stabbed the ball with the outside of his boot into the bottom corner of the net, wrong footing the goalkeeper as Celtic drew level.


The hunger to get a winner was evident as the Italian retrieved the ball from the net to get the match started again.


Moments later Celtic found themselves ahead as we quickly broke up the park from a Kilmarnock corner. Cedete rode a heavy challenge on the half way line & made an inch perfect pass for Thom to complete the move with left footed finish.


A third goal was added in the final minutes when Di Canio slipped the ball through to his Portuguese team mate to wrap up the 3 points. The explosive introduction of Di Canio turned the match around & gave a clear indication of how Tommy Burns wanted his side to perform & entertain.

That Was the Celtic Goal That Was

That Was The Celtic Goal That Was
　
No 5 - 29th April 1995 - Tom Boyd
　
During the early 90's there was very little for Celtic fans to get excited about, boardroom unrest & inconsistency on the pitch. The tail end of the 94 season saw the boardroom struggle finally coming to an end as Fergus McCann took the reins at the club. A new plan & vision was sold & the supporters joined him in the quest. In our push to become the number one team in Scotland again we had to take a few detours on the way & one of these detours took us to Hampden for the 1994/95 season
　
The league season at Hampden could easily be forgotten, but in reality the season spent there allowed the Club to replant their roots at Celtic Park & make inroads to winning silverware once again.
　
In one of the many away days during the season Celtic visited Brockville for a important League match against Falkirk.     The hosts were playing well & looking to finish in a European spot in the league, Celtic on the other hand were struggling to put a run of results together & with one eye on the Scottish Cup Final at the end of the season, that could perhaps be forgiven.
　
Celtic started well & scored after only 5 minutes through Phil O'Donnell. Falkirk came back into the match with Maurice Johnston missing a good chance in front of goal much to the amusement of the travelling support, especially when it was clear that Bonner had also caught Johnston & left the striker checking all items in his shorts were still intact.
　
Into the 2nd half Falkirk were awarded a soft penalty which was converted to bring the sides level. With so many draws hampering Celtic all season it seamed like it would be another day without a win.
　
From a throw in on the right, Tom Boyd made his way passed two defenders & tried to square the ball, following a game of pinball on the Falkirk box the ball broke to O'Donnell who snatched at his shot, the ball fell kindly for Boyd & he diverted the ball passed the Falkirk keeper from close range.
　
As Boyds team-mates swarmed round him, you could see what the goal meant. It wasn't a league decider, it wasn't a cup final, but it was one of the few times in the season when we managed to grind out a win when it seamed more likely to leave with a point.
　
Tom Boyd only scored 2 competitive goals in his 11 years at the Club & although he had to endure the difficult times during the early nineties, he was able to sign off his Celtic career in some style Captaining the team that won the title in 1997/98 & then secured a Treble in 2001.
　
　

That Was The Celtic Goal That Was

That Was The Celtic Goal That Was


No 4.   4th March 1970, Bertie Auld

　
"Once a Celt, yer always a Celt"

　
As one of the famed Lisbon Lions Bertie Auld will always be remembered by Celtic Fans the world over. Playing almost 300 competitive matches during his time at Celtic Park, he saw some lows but enjoyed far more highs.

　
A tough tackling, hard working playmaker in midfield, he was at the heart of our greatest ever triumph. He played 25 matches in Europe for Celtic & scored 1 goal, that came in March 1970.   Celtic had been drawn against Fiorentina in the quarter final of the European Cup after eliminating Benfica in the previous round.

　
The Italian team came to Glasgow for the first leg in what would be the biggest attendance for a European match a Celtic Park, with just over 77200 people there to watch a masterclass from wee "Ten-Thirty".

　
After 6 weeks out of the team due to injury, Jock Stein had no hesitation in throwing Bertie back into midfield for the big match. Bertie didn't let the boss down, he took control from kick off & powered Celtic into attack with willing support from Tommy Gemmell & Davie Hay.

　
After 30 minutes Celtic got the breakthrough, Bobby Murdoch crossed the ball from the right wing, John Hughes headed the ball back to the edge of the Box where Bertie Auld was in acres of space, he took a touch to control & powered a low shot passed the keeper & into the bottom corner of the net. Celtic were 1 up & in control of the match.
　

In the opening exchanges of the 2nd half Auld had the ball wide left & delivered a cross waiting to be attacked, in the panic Carpenetti connected with the cross only to loop the ball over his own keeper & double the advantage for Celtic.

　
Celtic continued to dominate & got the reward of a 3rd goal in the final minute, Once again Bertie Auld played his part. Picking up a loose ball in the final 3rd of the pitch, he drifted wide left & crossed the ball for Harry Hood to set up Willie Wallace who was on hand to seal an impressive victory 3-0 victory over the Italian Champions.

　
Celtic would loose the 2nd leg 1-0, but the tie was effectively over after a Bertie Auld & Celtic had produced a flawless performance at Celtic Park.

That Was The Celtic Goal That Was

No 3. 22nd April 2007, Shunsuke Nakamura

　

No better way to win the league than with a last gasp winner.

　

Celtic travelled to Rugby Park Kilmarnock needing 3 points to wrap up the title. An end of season stutter had seen Celtic win only 1 of the previous 4 league matches, losing away to Rangers & Falkirk & only picking up a point at Tannadice.

　

A 1-0 win at home against Motherwell at the start of April was followed by a Cup Semi Final victory over St Johnstone helping to raise spirits again before heading to Kilmarnock for what everyone hoped would be a title party.

　

For the first time in over 3 years John Kennedy started a match for Celtic, which was a welcome sight for fans in the stadium & watching on TV.

　

After a bright start from Celtic the match slowed down with half chances for both sides. However, mid way through the first half a corner from Nakamura was met perfectly by Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink as he glanced a header into the net to give Celtic the lead. With no more real goalmouth action in the first half, Celtic were 45 minutes from winning back to back titles.

　

Early in the 2nd half Kilmarnock drew level & the both sides had chances to take the lead, but the match looked to be heading for a draw & a delay to the title celebrations.

　

With the match now in Injury time Nakamura was bundled off the ball around 25 yards from goal, expectation grew among the Celtic fans. The Kilmarnock wall was set, Nakamura looked at his target, stepped up & curled the ball into the bottom corner of net. The delirious Celtic players joined the fans at the front of Chadwick stand to celebrate the wining goal & the winning of our 41st title.

　

Footage from the TV later showed Gordon Strachan & Tommy Burns bursting from the dug out in sheer joy at the moment the title was sealed.


That split second between anticipation & jubilation for the club staff & players was captured perfectly. 

　

A fabulous player with a special talent, Nakamura had helped deliver the title in the best possible way & gave fans an excuse to celebrate long after the final whistle.

That was the Celtic goal that was

No 2.  8th May 2004 Chris Sutton.





Whitewash -"A victory by the same side in every game of a series"





As Celtic & Rangers lined up pre-match at Celtic Park in early May, there was very little at stake for Celtic.   The championship had already been won, the league trophy was in the boardroom & the players league winners medals were safely tucked away at home.   Only one issue was still to be decided.     Could Celtic complete a whitewash of their Glasgow rivals?





The bittersweet end to the 2002 / 2003 season saw Celtic with no trophies to show, but some amazing memories of an unforgettable run to the UEFA Cup Final in Seville. 



The 03/04 season delivered silverware & some more magical moments in Europe.   Over the course of the season, Celtic & Rangers would meet 5 times, 4 matches in the league & 1 more in the Scottish Cup.





In the first meeting of the season in early October, Celtic shuffled the pack playing Chris Sutton at centre back & bringing in Liam Miller to midfield.   Celtic went home with 3 points thanks to a goal from John Hartson just at the start if the 2nd half.   The win put down a marker & put Celtic top of the league.





The traditional New year's match up was as one sided as the result suggests.   Goals from Petrov, Varga & Thompson secured a 3-0 victory & an 11 point lead in the championship race.

The Scottish Cup draw paired the sides together in the quarter final at Celtic Park.   A scrappy second half goal from Henrik Larsson ensured Celtic progressed to the Semi-Final.





29 matches unbeaten & 16 points ahead in the league, Celtic made their last trip to Ibrox & took a commanding 2 goal lead thanks to Larsson & Thompson, a late goal from Rangers could not stop us extending our lead at the top of the league to 19 points.





So everything was set for the final match up of the season.    A win would give Celtic their first whitewash over Rangers since the early 1970s.





A bright start saw Celtic score early, only to see the goal chopped off for a foul in the build up.   Both keepers were tested through the 90 minutes & appeared to be getting the upper hand as the match looked to be heading for a stalemate.





With the match in injury time Sutton flicked on a long ball to Larsson who took a touch & complete his one-two with Sutton.  Sutton controlled the ball 30 yards from goal & powered his way passed


Frank De Boer at the centre of the Rangers defence, leaving De Boer face down in the turf.



With only Klos to beat, Sutton chipped the ball in to the top corner from 25 yards out, before running to the Celtic end to celebrate with his team-mates.    Fans joined in the jubilation for the remainder of the match & long into the night.

With shades of memorable chip from Larsson in the 6-2 game in 2000, Sutton & Larsson had reversed roles to deliver the same glorious outcome.





Celtic would go on to complete the League & Cup double, helping ease the pain of the missed opportunities from the previous season & made all the sweeter with the whitewash of our city rivals.

That was the Celtic goal that was

A blog looking at some famous & some not so famous goals from Celtic players through the years.

No 1 - 18th May 1985, Frank McGarvey.


Frank McGarvey played over 240 competitive matches for Celtic in just over 5 years, scoring over 110 goals.

He had a knack of being in the right place at the right time, scoring a late winner against Rangers at Celtic Park shortly after singing in in 1980.

He played his part in 2 League Championship winning teams, scoring one of the goals in  3-2 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice that secured the title.
Winning 1 League Cup as Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 in a rain soaked Hampden Park in 1982, he also won two Scottish Cups, the first of which came just 2 months after joining from Liverpool in the 1980 Hampden riot match.

McGarvey would win his last medal with Celtic in his final match when Celtic payed Dundee United in the 100th Scottish Cup Final in 1985.

With the official attendance showing as 60000 fans, the Celtic end of the ground was a bursting point as fans paid at the gate to watch the showpiece final.

Celtic Struggled to get a foothold in the game & the first half passed without much incident.   Early in the second half a goal from Stuart Beedie looked to be handing United their first Scottish Cup Final vicotry.

With less than 15 minutes left Murdo McCleod was fouled on the edge of the United 18 yard box directly in front of goal.  Davie Provan lined up the free-kick & curled the ball over the tangerine wall & into the top corner (& the history books), the overcrowded Celtic end went wild & with only 10 minutes remaining Celtic were very much back in the match.

The Celtic fans sensed a historic late winner as the noise levels increased so did drive & determination from Roy Aitken who now looked like he was covering every position on the field.

With time running out a short game of head tennis ended with Roy Aitken picking up the loose ball on the right wing, he moved into space & crossed the ball into the box where an unmarked Frank McGarvey connected with a diving header that looped passed Hamish McAlpine the United goal.    The celebrations amongst the Celtic fans on the terraces was matched by the players on the field as the goal scorer looked in a state of shock after his moment of glory.

With no time left for United to get back into the match, Celtic hung on to their lead & won the Cup for the 27th time.

The winning goal from McGarvey gets better every time you see it.  The cross, the connection, the bend on the ball as it sailed into the net & then that moment of jubilation from the fans & players.

As an 8 year old watching the match on the TV that goal will always stick in mind as one of my favourite Celtic goals.

Chasing Rainbows in the Company of Strangers

As far as music festival experiences go Trnsmt is one of the more agreeable.    Held on  Glasgow Green, in the heart of our Dear Green Place there is no need to dust down your ground sheets, tent poles or sleeping bags.    A 5 or 10 minute walk through the bustling streets of Glasgow lined with bars, restaurants and cafes & you find yourself on the edge of music heaven.

With 4 main stages to keep music lovers occupied, the choice is all yours for a relaxing unplugged set, groove your day away at the dance area or take up the opportunity to see an up & coming band at the King Tutts stage.   Finally the main stage gives revellers the chance to see a mix of artists & genres on the biggest platform.

I am not saying you are restricted to these areas, the site is laid out with just about everything the young & not so young crowd could really need.   The charging stations & cocktail bars provide dance tracks to keep the party going when you are away from  the stages.   You also have plenty of  space to just kick back & relax on the slopes of the park & take part in everybody's favourite pastime of people watching.

In the digital age the Trnsmt app also gives you a chance to plan your day with the festival app with stage times & reminders, just in case you are having too much fun elsewhere on the site.

A late call off meant some changes to overall line-up on  the Saturday with a starting slot for The La Fontainnes on the main stage.    The La Fontainnes closed the King Tutts stage the previous year & the energy & delivery of Kerr Okan kicked off a relentless day of music in Glasgow.

Next on the main stage were one of the great early Indie bands of the 90's.   Shed Seven swaggered on stage & opened with lead track Room in my House from their new album.    They then rolled back the years with a set list of hits that left the crowd wanting more.    Rick Witter leads Shed Seven from one hit song to the next & my only wish was that they could have played for longer, a real treat in the early afternoon.

As we made our way to the King Tutts stage the crowd continued to sing the chorus of Chasing Rainbows.     With a huge crowd already in place for the Lothian band The Snuts, they the led the crowd through a seamless set including what's going on & the aptly  named Glasgow.   A strong set from a brillant band who should be playing bigger stages very soon.

As the afternoon sun grew stronger it was time to take a break in the shade as Kyle Falconner was welcomed on to the stage at  king Tutts.   The frontman from the view brought his full band with him & that unmistakable voice serenaded the fans tucked into the east corner of the green.

Time for a quick walk to the bar to pickup some much needed refreshments before making my way to the main stage for Gerry Cinnamon to treat his "pals", fellow Glaswegians & new army of fans to a walkthrough of his songbook.

With space at a premium, easily 40,000 people wedged themselves in at the main stage to see Gerry play at his hometown festival, a masterstroke from the organisers who guaranteed the boy from Castlemilk his place in the sun.

As he stood alone dreaming, he certainly wasnt in the company of strangers.   Gerry sang his life story, the crowd joined him in a full blown party atmosphere where the energy between fans & singer made for a special moment.    With fans & singers leading their way through the unsigned artists songbook of Belter, Lullaby, Sometimes & Fortune Favours the Bold, finishing with an acoustic version of Discoland leaving revelers on a maximum high.

After his set I took a stroll down by the Clydeside in the shade, with plenty of food stalls to feed your appetite & bars to keep you refreshed, a seat in the amongst the trees & a chance to talk to fellow music fans.  A great crowd sharing stories of their travels from Canada,  Birmingham & Baillieston, all with different idols but all there for a great day out.

The dance area & cocktail bar a perfect to keep to the party going between bands or just to sit and rechanrge your batteries & phone.   Thankfully the Trnsmt app reminded me the Courteeners were due in stage & I squeezed my way into the front in time to hear Liam Fray lead the Glasgow crowd through their anthems.     The crowd armed with smoke bombs & flares helped light up an electric set from the English indie rockers.

Time for a quick toilet break & back in place for the moment I had been waiting for Liam Gallagher since I had bought my tickets & no intention of missing out.

As show time approached the fans sang along with The Stone Roses being played in the background, then in a flash Laim Gallagher made his way to the stage  all eyes in Glasgow Green followed him on the big screens as he made his trademark swagger from his dressing room to his stage.    With the crowd at fever pitch he strolled on stage & entered into the Oasis anthem Rock n Roll star.    24 years on from the 1st time I had heard him sing it at the Glasgow Barrowlands, it was great to hear him hold us all in his hands once again.

Anthem after anthem of Oasis tracks & hits from his As you were album brought the crowd to a fever pitch.    As far as front men go, there can't be many better than Liam Gallagher,  swagger, arrogance, style & he leads the crowd in everything he does.

"Whatever" made a appearance & faded out thanks to the backing of the Old Skool Oasis fans with a rendition of " I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopuses garden in the shade"

Just as the set was in full flow, the music came to an abrupt stop.    A fan in the crowd had decided he needed a better vantage point & scaled one of the speaker masts & for safety reasons the gig was called to a short halt.     With bottles, drinks & abuse being thrown at the climber, Liam also gave him a piece of his mind.     After a break Liam had enough of waiting & kicked off the gig again.    More flares & smoke bombs went off to Cigarettes & Alcohol, Liam kept the abuse up directing D'yer wanna be a spaceman to out high flying intruder.

An excellent set & night  was finished off with Live Forever & Wonderwall.    Fans made they way back to the city to keep the party going, or maybe to get themselves ready for another day at Trnsmt.    Either way, Glasgow was brightly shining & waiting to do it all again on the Sunday.

The Agony & Ecstasy

I was looking through some family pictures for my daughter's birthday recently and during the search I found a photo from the first Celtic match I took her to, it was a league match at Celtic Park against Motherwell.

The 2007/2008 season was coming to close & the result the previous week suggested it was going to be a difficult end to the season for us.     A 1-0 defeat at Ibrox had left Celtic trailing in the title race & our rivals had games in hand.   The match against Motherwell was a must win if we were to mount any challenge.

My daughter & I left the house early  so we could make our way to Paradise before it got too busy.   As it was the first match we had to make a trip to the superstore to pick up a new scarf that almost smothered her as I draped it round her neck & shoulders.

We made our way to the Lisbon Lions stand & took our seat ready for the players warm up.   The stadium slowly filled up before kick-off.

As far as first games go, it wasn't a classic, it wasn't even a victory.   Another 1-0 defeat looked to have ended our season.   We walked back to car, I drove home & tried to convince my daughter we were better than that & myself we still had a chance to win the league.

The league campaign moved on to another match against Motherwell a week later and  a 4-1 win kept us involved in the fight for the title & with two games coming up against the league leaders at Celtic Park, we could still hope.

My brother & I made our way along to the midweek match at Celtic Park against our city rivals.    A must win game.    As usual the atmosphere was electric, the Celtic players were energised by the backing from the home support & put in a blistering first half performance, but only had a spectacular Nakamura goal to show for it.

During half time the cheers from the home fans grew as a huge banner was unveiled in the north east corner, Scotland's Shame pointed towards the visiting fans from Ibrox.

Into the second half the match flowed from end to end, an equaliser came for the visitors & the nerves in the home support began to show.    There was still  plenty of time for a winner & when Cuellar was shown a red card for his one handed save on the line from a netbound shot from Nakamura, we had a penalty to take the lead.

Scott MacDonald stepped up only to have his penalty saved & perhaps our chance of a winner gone.

With time running out, I hate to admit, my brother left his seat & made his way to the exit and I followed him out.

We were two of only about 20 people on Janefield Street as a roar came from behind us, Celtic had scored a late late winner thanks to Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.   A late winner, a crucial last minute winner against our title rivals & we had missed it.    Joined by some other early leavers we celebrated in Janefield Street & quickly made our way to the pub for a few beers & to see the winning goal.

I was raging we missed the goal, but to be back in with a shout for the title I was willing to let my brother off.

Up next were Aberdeen, another below par performance, but we managed to get a much needed win thanks to goal from Samaras. 

All roads led to Celtic Park for the final Glasgow derby of the season the following week.

I picked up the keys to our new family house on the Friday, got settled in & then made my way to the match on the Sunday, bumped in to my new neighbours on Springfield Road not exactly hiding my colours much to their delight.

Another pulsating match had everyone in the stadium on the edge of their seats.    Celtic ahead early & then behind just as quick.     A second goal from MacDonald levelled it before half-time.    Thankfully the second half slowed down.    We were awarded a penalty & with MacDonald on course for a hat-trick he passed the ball to Barry Robson to score & give us the victory.     

Now it was time to believe, in a short space of time we had turned the league around, it wasn't quite in our hands but we had momentum.

A 2-0 victory away to Hibs kept the pressure on at the top, but we still needed a favour from another team if we were to win the league.

4 days after the Hibs match a true hero of Celtic lost his battle with cancer.    The front entrance to Celtic Park became a shrine to Tommy Burns as Celtic fans & fans of other clubs came to lay tributes to a player & manager who had served Celtic for so long.

Fans, players directors & club officials took time together together to remember the great Tommy Burns in the days to come as he was laid to rest on the 20th May.

By the time the last league match was to be played the destiny of the title was pretty much in our own hands.    Win & we should be champions.     With no chance of a ticket for the trip to tannadice, I decided the next best thing would be to watch it with family & friends at the Kerrydale suite at Celtic Park.

There with my heavily pregnant wife & daughter we watched on, nervous as to how the night would play out.

The atmosphere was fantastic, but the longer the match went at 0-0 the more nervous we became.    Then, with about 20 minutes to go Celtic win a corner, Hartley crossed it into the box for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink to power a header into the net.

Celebrations kicked off at Tannadice & with us at the Kerrydale.     With results going our way in the other match at pittodrie.     Celtic were champions of Scotland when only 8 matches previously they had been written off.

For my daughter it was a quickfire baptism into life as a Celtic supporter, the lows of the loss to Motherwell to the incredible highs of the celebrations in the Kerrydale 7 weeks later.

Nights like that stay long in the memory & 10 years later that feeling continues as my daughter & I make our way to see Celtic home & away along with my 10 year old son.

x

Ghosts of Cathkin

Walking through the trees, catching a glimpse of the pitch with the lush green grass.    A few steps more & what's left of the steps of the old terracing come into view.

Cathkin Park was not a ground I had been to before, with Third Lanark going out of business before I was born, but something about the terracing steps & the barriers just made the trip worth it. The old wide spectator steps have been largely covered by trees, plants & weeds.    However, through some incredible commitment & hard work by volunteers some of the old terracing is starting to show once again.

11 Scottish Cup Finals were played here between 1885 & 1899, Renton winning the first of them against Vale of Leven & Celtic winning the last 2-0 against city rivals Rangers in front of 25,000 fans.

In May 1888, Scottish Cup holders Renton would be crowned the unofficial champions of the UK & the World at Cathkin Park after defeating English FA Cup holders West Bromwich Albion 4-1.

Many of the greats of the Scottish game played here at a time when a football match was a break away from the tough industrial life in the city.

James McGrory made his debut here in a 1 Nil defeat for Celtic.   McGrory would recover from the defeat to go on to cement his place as the greatest goalscorer in Celtics history. 

In the early 60s, thousands would make their way to watch a match here,  in 1962 Third Lanark would again inflict defeat against a Celtic team that included Billy McNeill & Stevie Chalmers.  However, the next 5 years would see fortunes for both clubs completely change.

In 1967, one club would be crowned champions of Europe & the other would play it's last match.

In those years a young Celtic team had a leader in Jock Stein.   Jock was able to harness the skills of a talented team & allowed them to reach the heights of European & world football, the Lisbon Lions squad knew the strengths of their team-mates & allowed each other to shine during a decade of dominance.

Jimmy Johnstone, the man later named as the greatest ever Celtic Player was the skillful winger & showman of the Lisbon Lions, he too had played on the pitch at Cathkin Park.

That sense of history about the surroundings at Cathkin Park as a Celtic fan grabbed me, but any football fan coming here would get that sense of falling back to a golden age.

Those days are gone & 50 years later a new set of players line up to claim victory in the atmospheric surroundings of the old ground.

Tucked away behind the corner flag are the new team breathing life back into Cathkin Park, but they are not forgetting the glorious past.

The coaches at the Jimmy Johnstone Academy live & breath for the development of young footballers, training players to be the best that they can.   There are stories of players from the glory days of Scottish football including tales of the Lisbon Lions, Tommy Burns & Jimmy Johnstone's good friend Willie Henderson.

It's an education in skills & teamwork but also an education in the talent Scotland produced & can hopefully produce again.   I am lucky I get to hear the the stories from the coaches at the academy on a regular basis & I see how much my son has developed under their training.

The Academy is part of the wider Jimmy Johnstone Charitable Trust, which is looking to create a legacy for one of the finest footballing talents the World has seen.

I had visited Hampden Park as a Celtic fan countless times over the years and never knew the old ground at Cathkin Park with all its history was still there & only a short walk away.

The next time you're in that area & if you have the time take a wee walk round, you wont be disappointed.

Cup Final Memories

I caught up with my brother & sister earlier this week we were talking about our first Cup Finals & watching Celtic winning the Scottish Cup at Hampden, strangely enough they were across 3 different decades, but are all etched in our minds forever.

1995 - Celtic 1 - Airdrie 0

My first Cup Scottish Cup Final & considering I was 16 it shows how long that barren spell was in the early 90s.

After a disappointing season playing at Hampden, Celtic had the chance to finish the season with a but of silverware, the first in 6 years.

The game was not a classic, but thanks to an early goal from Pierre Van Hooijdonk Celtic secured the Scottish Cup & gave Paul McStay his only trophy as captain & Tommy Burns his only success as Manager of the club they both served so well.

A few things stand out from that day, the relief on supporters faces as the ref blew the full time whistle, the emotion from players like Paul McStay & Peter Grant on the pitch at full time & the celebrations the lasted into the wee hours of the morning.    Celtic fans might not have had much to celebrate in the early 90s, but nobody had forgot how to celebrate & that we all did.


1985 Celtic 2 - Dundee United 1

The 100th Scottish cup final, was my sister's first taste of a Celtic Cup Final.    She went along to the match with one of my older brothers George & stood in the old Celtic end on a fairly overcast day at Hampden.

It was a late show from Celtic as they came from behind to grab a late winner & take the old trophy back to Celtic Park.

With a long history of success in this trophy, for Helen this would always be one that she would remember, with probably 2 of the most iconic goals in Cup Finals, Davie Provan scored direct from a free-kick to bring Celtic level in the match, then with 5 minutes remaining the will to win that has been part of Celtic since 1888 shone through as Roy Aitken crossed the ball to Frank McGarvey to score a wonderful, curling diving header. 

His stunned celebration showed what it meant to him & the scenes behind the goal showed what it meant to the huge Celtic support.


1974 Celtic 3 - Dundee United 0

Celtic made the trip to Hampden for the Scottish Cup Final for the 6 consecutive year, but for my older brother Benny it would be his first Cup Final.

A family friend took Benny along to Hampden that day as they sat in the main stand & watched Celtic run out convincing 3-0 winners.

With Celtic 2 nil up after 25 minutes from Dixie Deans & Steve Murray, Benny could enjoy his first visit to Hampden & savour a Cup victory.   Harry Hood would add a late 3rd to cap off another winning season.

With only 2 of the famous Lisbon Lions starting the match in McNeill & Johnstone, it was up to the team from the Quality Street Gang & some excellent additions like Dixie Deans & Harry Hood to secure the double for Celtic & their 23rd Scottish Cup victory.

I am sure Celtic fans the world over have great memories off these & other cup triumphs, & I doubt any of us will forget the ending to the 2017 Cup Final.

All 3 of us will be there again on Saturday hoping for another memorable trip to Hampden.

Celtic Graves - Promoting heritage & so much more

I took a trip out to Hamilton for the commemoration of Peter Somers, who although only 36 when he died had left his mark on Celtic & a number of other clubs during his short life.    The event was put together by the team at the Celtic Graves Society & by kind permission of the Somers family.

Peter was part of the first Celtic team to win 6 league titles in a row back in early 1900s & formed part of one of the most famous front 5 in Celtics history.   With over 200 appearances & 62 goals, Peter helped establish Celtic on the field in the clubs early years.

Parking the car at the Cemetery, I spoke with a few other people who had made their way from various parts of Scotland for the commemoration.    After a quick chat we all made our way to the grave side & newly cleaned headstone.

An introduction from our hosts at the Celtic Graves Society gave the tribute from the Somers family & set the scene for Peters career with Celtic, the honours won & anecdotes from  during his time at the club.  

David Potter then gave an account of that great Celtic team of the early 1900s, singing songs of the famous 5 of Bennett, McMenemy, Quinn, Somers & Hamilton.    I know that I won't ever sing this little piggy the same way again!!

We were then given more details on Peters life away from Celtic from the Hamilton Accies historian Peter McLeish, telling the story of Peter Somers quick graduation from Hamilton Accies to Celtic, to Blackburn back to Celtic & finally back to Hamilton.   Peters Iove of the game that kept him scouting for Hamilton after he stopped playing & ultimately his premature death in 1914.

Finally flowers were laid from a Celtic fan who had made the trip from across the Atlantic ocean.

Normally a visit to a cemetery can be a difficult, but the work of the members of the Celtic Graves Society & the guest speakers ensured everyone there left with a positive memory of a player who achieved so much in his career.

This is only the second CGS event I have been to & the work that the team put in to pull all this together is amazing.    If you get the chance, you should make the effort to get along to their events. 

How bout them Red Sox - A fan from Afar

In the Autumn of 1986 I received a gift of 2 baseball caps from my mums cousin.   One was for the New York Mets, the other was the Boston Red Sox.



The 2 caps represented the teams appearing in the 1986 Fall Classic, the two best teams in baseball who would slug it out to be crowned the World Champions in the World Series.

Something struck me about the Red Sox cap, the team logo was bold, it almost had a Christmas feel to it like two Christmas stockings hanging on a tree. 

At the time, I didn't follow many sports other than football - as a boy from the east end of Glasgow the only sport that mattered was football & the only team was Celtic, but something in those hats buried an interest in me that would be ignited in later life.

Six years later one of my older brothers made a trip to the east coast of America to visit family in & around New York & Boston.     He brought me home stories of a former player called "Babe" Ruth, who played for the Red Sox from 1914 & helped make them the best team in America, but then in 1919 he moved to the New York Yankees.

In that one trade the period of sporting greatness had come to an end for the Red Sox & signalled the rise of New York Yankees.

Between 1919 & 1985 the Red Sox would appear in 3 World Series & lose them all.   In contrast the Yankees would make more than 30 appearances & win 22 of them.

Talk of a "Curse" on the Red Sox & stories of continuous near misses in made me pay more attention to their fortunes from the other side of the Atlantic - Did Babe Ruth leave a curse on the Red Sox when he was forced to move to the Yankees in 1919?

In 1986 with the long awaited title within grasp, the Red Sox were one "out" from winning the biggest prize.    With the series at 3-2 in favour of the Red Sox, one more play was all that was needed to erase the memory of the 68 years of pain & mark up the win against the Mets.

True to form the Red Sox could not make that play & in a cruel run of events lost the 6th & 7th games of the series to the Mets.

Making a further 4 appearances in the playoffs between 1988 & 1999 gave nothing in return for Red Sox fans & the wait for the World Series would continue.

In 2003 The Yankees & the Red Sox would battle it out in the Championship series to decide who would appear in the World Series - In another heart-breaking loss.   The Sox would lose the best of 7 series by 4 games to 3.    Losing the deciding games by one run in extra innings.

17 years had now passed since the last World Series appearance & 85 years since their last triumph.

12 Months later, both teams met again in the Championship series, the best of 7 series could not have started any worse for the Sox - the Yankees raced into a 3-0 leads    The dream was all but over for another year.    All the Yankees had to do was win one more match to put the Sox Nation out of the misery.   The only question was - Who will the Yankees play in the World Series?

In the 4th game, the Yankees needed 3 outs to end the match up.   In the final inning the Red Sox scored a run to tie the match & then scored 2 more runs in the 12th to keep the series alive.

Game 5 also went to extra innings at Fenway park - Another win that brought the series to 3-2 in favour of the Yankees.

Game 6 & 7 would be played at Yankee stadium.    4 early hits for the Red Sox & a huge pitching effort from Curt Shilling ensured the series would go to a deciding match.    3-3 going into the decider.

Game 7 at Yankee stadium saw the Red Sox shake off the burden of living in the shadow of their greatest rivals for 86 years. 

Scoring almost at will the Red Sox won game 7 by 10 runs to 3 & become the first team to win a play off series after losing the 1st 3 matches.    More importantly they also progressed to the World Series to play against St Louis.

ESPN made a 30 for 30 programme 4 Days in October charting the comeback from the Red Sox, a must see for any sports fan.

In the space of 4 matches against St Louis the weight of history, past achievements & even the Curse of the Bambino were lifted & consigned to history.

Sweeping St Louis over four matches in late October 2004 saw the Red Sox claim their first World Series in 86 years.   A night that many members of the Sox Nation the world over will remember for ever.

So, that hat I received in 1986 opened up a new world of sporting pain, despair & enjoyment - but that's what you sign up for when you are a Red Sox fan.



BHF Supporter Journey

I started fundraising for the British Heart Foundation with my family March 2015, but my story with BHF goes much further back than that.

 

I was born in 1978 with a congenital heart disorder called Tetralogy of Fallots, which is a condition with 4 separate defects of the heart.   The condition is commonly known as blue baby syndrome, as most of the children who suffer from it generally have bluish lips.

 

The doctors identified my condition very early & within the first 9 months of my life I had undergone 2 operations to help restore the flow of oxygenated from my heart to the rest of my body.

 

I underwent Open Heart Surgery when I was 3 years old to try to repair the Tetrallogy of Fallots, & although very ill after the operation, I was eventually allowed home to recover with my family.  

Since then I have had 3 Pulmonary Valve replacement operations.   I had a mechanical valve implanted when I was 9 years old, a pig’s valve when I was 19 after a long illness & I went through my most recent valve replacement at the age of 32.

 

I have seen the changes in the medical care, operative techniques & post-operative care during my life & know that these improvements were made possible thanks to the research carried out by the BHF.

 

In 2014, our family was hit with the devastating news that our brother George had died of a heart attack at his home at the age of 46.   He had no medical history of heart problems & lived a very full & active life.   The shock of his death brought to light the fact that a heart attack can strike at any time and in any age group.    

 

My brother’s death made me think more about what can be done to raise awareness & highlight the importance of the research & developments in coronary care.

 

Since my brother’s death we have been raising funds & awareness on behalf of the British Heart Foundation including a 5-a-side tournament with teams from across the central belt taking part.    We were able to combine our fundraising efforts with learning CPR skills (Thanks to Save a Life for Scotland); in doing this we helped add more people to nation of life savers the charity is trying to create.

 

No matter if I am raising funds or awareness, it’s important to me to work with the BHF to fight for every heart beat.

 

My story was printed in the Daily Record in 2016

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/my-scars-make-feel-happy-9122470

Tonys Gift

During a visit to my in-laws with their first grand-daughter in 2002 my Father in Law pulled me aside & handed me a bag.   I wasn't sure what was in the bag, but he said "I know you & your brother are daft about collecting these kind of things, so you can add these to the collection".

I opened the bag & found a collection of Football Books, Celtic Programmes & Wee Green Books dating from the early 60s through to the mid seventies.   My Father in Law Tony had passed to me a historical timeline of the greatest era in Celtic Football Clubs history.

When I got home I took great care & pleasure as I started to read through the "Managers Report" from James McGrory for the 1961-62 season.   The mixed emotions of the season that had just passed & the confidence he had in the future of the team especially with the crop of youngsters coming through.

A half-share of the Charity Cup was the only honour from the previous season.   Although appearances in 3 cup finals gave more hope than expectation that things were improving.

Congratulations were offered to Jock Stein on his first management role & the success of his Dunfermline team securing the Scottish Cup against Celtic in the April of 1961.   Farewells were offered to great names like Bertie Peacock after 12 years service at the club.

Reading through the books you can't help but feel Mr McGrorys attachment to the club & the hope that he can get the team back on track.

In Contrast the first "Manager Report" from John Stein in the 1965-66 Wee Green Book you are immediately met with an ambitious message of success, European Football & League championship quest, an amazing turnaround in attitude in the space of 12 months.

As the years pass the managers report becomes more glowing as the club excel across Scotland & Europe.   The 67-68 book starts simply with :

 

 "Five Competitions.................five Victories!

That's the simple statistical way of summing-up Celtics incredible season of 1966-67"

 

 



Watching the squad grow year on year as some of the greatest names to grace the Scottish game take their place.

 

Simpson

Craig                     McNeill                   Clark                  Gemmell       

 

Murdoch                              Auld

Johnstone                                                                     Lennox

Chalmers           Wallace

 

As the confidence of the club grows the ambition of the supporters grows too.   Adverts changed over the years from local bars & builders merchants to travel companies offering services to help fans on their trips across Europe.

 

These small changes in advertising perhaps show the bigger changes in the development of Celtic the club & their fans from the clubs original inception in 1888.   The transition of a Club set up to help put food on the table for less fortunate souls in the late 19th century to a club & fan base conquering Europe 80 years later.

 

My father in law Tony passed away after a short battle with Cancer a few months after handing me the collection of memorabilia.   I put them away in the loft for safe keeping & hadn't looked at them for some time.

 

I started looking through them again last year sharing stories with my young family of the matches from 40-50 years ago.   The pictures preserved in these books & newspaper cuttings not only capture the memories of  the greatest Celtic team, but they also allowed Tony to pass his passion for the club he loved on to his grandchildren & to be enjoyed for many more years to come.

 

 



Every Bhoy has to start somewhere

The 27th August 1983 won't be remembered too well in the long history of Celtic football club, but for me it will always be remembered as the day I made my first visit to Celtic Park.

As a 5 year old who had grown up around a Celtic daft family it was trip I couldn't wait to make.   My older brother Benny had been saying that he would take me to an upcoming match & that day gave him a perfect opportunity.   

The sun was shining in Glasgow & the football season was only a couple of weeks old.   Benny had been going to the Celtic games since the mid 70's & at 17 he was given the responsibility to get me to my first game.   After strict instruction from my mum we made our way from our home in Riddrie to the match.

The visitors that day were Brechin City in the 2nd leg of a league cup tie.   The 1st match earlier in week had seen Celtic claim a narrow 1-0 win.  The expectation would be that Celtic could add a few more goals at home in the 2nd leg.

I don't remember too much about the game & this is probably a good thing.   The match finished 0-0 & there was very little action in either goalmouth.

What does stand out in my mind was the walk towards the stadium approaching the main stand & the fans standing around the main entrance.

Entering the stadium through the old turnstiles at the main stand with a click & a clunk & then walking out through the stairs to get my first glimpse of paradise & the players warming up on the pitch, it was a brilliant experience.

Benny had bought me a match programme on the way into the ground & he gave me a pen to go stand at the tunnel entrance for autographs.   Tommy Burns walked passed on his way back to the dressing room, he stopped & signed my programme.   A great keepsake for my first match.

This match & performance was probably as low key as you can get.  0-0 draw with a team from a lower league & scraping through to the next round of the cup, but the memories I have will always stand out.

I attended a Celtic AM event at Malones in Glasgow on the 2nd December 2017 & part of the line up included Willie McStay.   Willie was speaking about his time at Celtic in his playing & coaching days & his immense pride in appearing in the hoops & to do so with his brother Paul.

He told the story of his first start in the 1st team at Celtic Park as the 0-0 match against Brechin in 1983.   As it turns out there were are few firsts that day, including Brechins' first visit to Celtic Park.

Almost 35 years later, Brechin City make another trip to Celtic Park, this time on Scottish cup duty.    A lot has changed around the club & stadium since 1983 & the area is completely unrecognisable.  

I now take my seat in section 409 in the North stand with my 2 children, & my brother Benny always looking to remember the spirit of the Jungle stands with his son at the back of the standing section & we probably wouldn't have it any other way.

The emotional attachment to Celtic goes further than a match result.  They are more than a club to so many people & that's what keeps generations of families & friends coming to Celtic Park year after year.